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| Balnaves of Coonawarra Producer website
About Us
Balnaves of Coonawarra vineyard was established in 1975, and is situated at the southern end of the Coonawarra Terra Rossa strip.
The family has been associated with the district since 1855 with the first wines under the Balnaves of Coonawarra label being produced in 1990. We remain fully committed to a high level of 'hands-on' involvement and look forward to sharing our passion with you.
For the eleventh year in a row, the prestigious publication, the James Halliday Wine Companion 2013 has rated Balnaves as a 5-Star winery!
To be selected from over 1740 Australian wineries was an enormous honour and acknowledgment to the commitment of excellence, not only by viticulturalist Pete Balnaves and winemaker Pete Bissell, but the entire Balnaves team."
DOUG BALNAVES,
GENERAL MANAGER
We aim to produce consistently high quality wines from fruit sourced from our own Coonawarra vineyards, reflecting the unique flavours, character and quality of fruit grown in this area, as well as the variation of seasons in this cool climate area.
History
Our first wines were made on a contract basis at a neighbouring winery in 1990 and in 1995 we made the almost inevitable decision to construct our own winery. Our striking new 600 tonne winery was built and in operation for the 1996 vintage.
To build an expandable winery and barrel storage facility, designed to be in harmony with the surrounding Viticultural envelope through seasonal change. The winery was to complement the cellar door and had to be a striking visual element of deliberate form and colour as an enhancement to the landscape. The "bell tower" acts as a local beacon for visitors as well as offering an unprecedented panorama over the Coonawarra Vineyards. What we achieved was all of that and more, and as a result a number of awards have been won for the winery design.
Philosophy
Balnaves wines are 100% Coonawarra, and produced exclusively from fruit grown by the Balnaves Family in Coonawarra.
Our aim is to produce consistently high quality wines from fruit sourced from our own Coonawarra vineyards, reflecting the unique flavours, character and quality of fruit grown in this area, as well as the variation of seasons in this cool climate area.
Our winemaking philosophy is to maximize and build complexity and structure in all the wines. Rather than focus on simple varietal fruit characters, the wines show complex fruit oak and tannin aromas, and rich yet fine palate structures, with noticeable texture as well as flavour on the finish.
Our wines are made to be aged and are best after several years of cellaring. The wines are made to accompany food and are best enjoyed with food, which highlights the mouthfeel qualities which our wines produce.
Our Vineyard
We are a small family owned wine company in the heart of the famous Coonawarra Terra Rossa strip.
Since the planting of the first 5 hectares of vines in 1976, the vineyard has grown steadily and now covers a total of 58 hectares of Coonawarra Terra Rossa soil. The principal variety planted is Cabernet Sauvignon, which accounts for 70% of the area whilst the addition of Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Chardonnay make up the total vineyard area of 58 hectares.
The vineyard is divided into small blocks of between one and two hectares, which take into account depth of soil, trellis design, vine clone and row direction. The quality of wine produced from these small blocks is evaluated each year and recorded. This practice proves the validity of the French concept of "terrior" or the effect that microclimate; geological features and other factors have on the quality of the wine produced. Such effects are clearly seen in the small Balnaves vineyard at Coonawarra.
Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.Australia Wine Australia (Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation) | Australian Wines (Wikipedia)South Australia South Australian Wine Industry Association | South Australian Wines (Wikipedia)Limestone Coast Limestone CoastCoonawarra Coonawarra |
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